CORTLAND — When the Giants and Patriots faced off in Super Bowl XLVI in February, you would have thought the Jets couldn’t bring themselves to root for either their fellow MetLife Stadium tenant or their division rival.
Not so, Bart Scott said Wednesday. In fact, the choice was easy for him.
“I was happy for [the Giants],” Scott said after practice. “You can best believe that I was rooting for them [to win] the Super Bowl and not the other one.
“I can guarantee you that one.”
The Jets and Giants will face off again Saturday in East Rutherford, their first time on the field together since the Giants walked away with a 29-14 victory over the Jets on Christmas Eve last December, a win that launched the Giants on their way to a second Super Bowl title in five years.
But unlike the week leading up to that game, which was filled with the Jets taking one shot after another at the Giants, the Jets have given the Giants nothing but respect this week.
“We respect them,” linebacker Calvin Pace said. “I don’t know if they respect us or not. They have a great organization. I like how they do some things. The guys up front — you can’t help but like [Jason] Pierre-Paul and Osi [Umenyiora] and those guys. … It’s not us vs. them in terms of this bitter rivalry.
“I do think there is a level of respect there, too, just in terms of some of the things we’ve done the past couple of years. Obviously, they’re the Super Bowl champions … you can’t do nothing but tip your hat to them. I like playing them. I think it helps us prepare for the season.”
The Jets entered the game last December with the hopes of reaching the playoffs for the third consecutive year under coach Rex Ryan, and make it to their first Super Bowl in over 40 years. Instead, the Giants took the lead for good on Victor Cruz’s 99-yard touchdown catch late in the second quarter, and the Jets saw their season end in shambles in Miami the following week.
“That was a big loss,” Scott said. “We had the game in hand until that kind of broke the game open. They made the plays and we didn’t. They carried that momentum and won the Super Bowl.
“More power to them, congratulations to them, and one day we hope we can have that same feeling.”
While seemingly gracious, Scott admitted he was envious of their success.
“I’m always jealous. To tell you the truth, if my team’s not in the Super Bowl I wish they would cancel it, find out a way that every other team was cheating and nobody wins that year.
“I’m bitter like that. [I’ll] take my pill and hats off to them. They’re the champions. You give them the respect they deserve.”
tbontemps@nypost.com